WEST CHESTER, Pa.- Paige Marabell (Tunkhannock, Pa./Tunkhannock) hit a pair of home runs in game one to help lead the West Chester University softball team (16-9, 5-3) to an important split vs No. 14 East Stroudsburg (25-7, 7-3) in PSAC East action on Friday afternoon. Marabell gave West Chester an early lead in game one with a solo shot in the third inning, and the Golden Rams never trailed in a 7-2 victory before dropping the nightcap by a 2-0 final.
Game One: WCU 7 ESU 2
After two-and-a-half scoreless innings to open the game, Marabell launched her first of two home runs in the victory with a solo shot to right center, giving the Golden Rams an early 1-0 lead.
West Chester added five runs to its advantage in the fourth as
Grace Aguilar (Frederica, Del./Lake Forest) scored on a wild pitch before
Alexa Peterson (Exton, Pa./Bishop Shanahan) drove in
Kaitlyn Rittenbaugh (Donaldson, Pa./Pine Grove) and
Mairead Hopkins (West Chester, Pa./Rustin) with a two-RBI single up the middle to make it a 4-0 lead for the Golden Rams.
Marabell launched her second home run of the day, this time to left, scoring
Kayla Fitzpatrick (Carle Place, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy), who had pinch run for Peterson.
Hopkins added another run to the Golden Rams lead with a solo home run to left, stretching the advantage to 7-0 heading into the sixth inning.
ESU got a pair of runs back courtesy of back-to-back solo home runs in the sixth, ending
Makenzie Edwards (Atco, N.J./Hammonton) (7-2) afternoon in the circle.
Edwards picked up her seventh win of the year, scattering six hits and a pair of runs while striking out five in 5.1 innings of work.
Danielle Ciliberto (Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon) entered in relief and worked a scoreless 1.2 innings to close out the victory, getting three of her five outs via strikeouts.
Paige Zigmund got the start in the circle for ESU and fell to 12-3 on the year. She allowed seven runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out seven in 5.0 innings of work.
Game Two: ESU 2 WCU 0
East Stroudsburg got an early 1-0 lead in the second after back-to-back two-out hits.
The Warriors doubled their lead in the fifth with a long solo home run to take a 2-0 lead, which the Warriors went on to win by.
Abbie Landrum got the start for ESU and, despite allowing two hits, pitched a scoreless first inning with one strikeout to escape her early trouble. These two hits were the only hits that West Chester would muster until the seventh when Rittenbaugh led off the inning with a single through the infield to give West Chester late life. Sarah Davenport, who had entered in relief of Landrum in the second, worked around her early runner well, striking out the next three Golden Rams to secure the 2-0 victory.
Davenport (12-3) was excellent for ESU on Friday afternoon, pitching six shutout innings, allowing just one hit and one walk, while striking out 13 to quiet the potent Golden Ram offense.
Ciliberto (8-5) got the start and took yet another tough-luck loss in the setback, pitching very well in the nightcap, surrendering just two runs on six hits and three walks while striking out eight.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action tomorrow against Bloomsburg in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
